Punziano G., Padricelli G. M., Vettori A. Algorithmic feedback loops in soft science disciplines. An application of the systematic literature review on the evolution of definitions from 2000 to 2023

Authors: Gabriella Punziano, Giuseppe Michele Padricelli, Antonio Vettori

Abstract

In today’s digital society, consumer cultures and practices have been reshaped by digital platforms. Cultural entertainment consumption, such as movies and music, is now largely mediated by platforms like Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube, which use AI-driven algorithms to recommend, filter, and rank content dynamically. This article presents a longitudinal study of scientific literature to examine how the concept of feedback loops has been addressed. It explores how this recursive process – where outputs influence new inputs – has evolved and been interpreted differently across soft and hard sciences over time.

Keywords: Feedback loop, Prisma SLR, algorithm role

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13131/unipi/zzr3-mm11

Notes on contributors

GABRIELLA PUNZIANO, Associate Professor of Sociology and Methodology of social research at the University of Naples Federico II, Department of Social Sciences. Among her research interests: the new analytical frontiers and the challenges introduced by new data, mixed and integrated and digital perspectives; social policies and welfare regimes; the analysis of public, institutional and political communication phenomena through innovative content analysis techniques; risk communication analysis on social and digital platforms.
Email: gabriella.punziano@unina.it
GIUSEPPE MICHELE PADRICELLI, Post-Doc Fellow at the University of Naples Federico II and Adjunct professor in Methodology of social research at University of Campania L. Vanvitelli. His main research interests concern the methodological challenges in digital realm addressed by the study of collective action and political communication.
Email: giuseppemichele.padricelli@unima.it
ANTONIO VETTORI, MD in ‘Public, Social and Political Communication’ at the University of Naples Federico II. His thesis work aims to understand user-algorithm interactions by focusing on the methodological aspects of the study.
Email: a.vettori@studenti.unina.it